After they become democratic you can hear the Chinese saying, "those
hayseeds in the Hunan Province are so stupid . . . "
Bret Cahill
Well, actually, that's exactly what they do. The Army sent me to two
years of Chinese language school then to multiple tours of duty in
Asia -- Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Afghanistan, Japan -- back when I
could read, write, and speak Chinese quite well. Time has faded my
language abilities -- but -- the Chinese are no different from us --
people from different provinces have different characteristics -- at
least, according to Chinese custom and tradition they do.
On of my favorite Chinese terms is "tu-baudz" -- the word "tu" meaning
dirt, soil, or earth -- and "baudz" meaning "one who is wrapped up in
(something)" (from the Chinese word "Bau" meaning to wrap up, to
pick up and hold as one would do a child)" -- a "tu-baudz" then is
one who is wrapped in the earth -- a hayseed, a country bumpkin.
Another of my favorites is -- and I forget the Chinese term -- a
"Szechuan Donkey" -- meaning the most stubborn jackass in all creation
is from Szechuan Province.
A really brilliant roomie said that the Chinese were only sending the
brightest to the U. S. Maybe he wasn't being "diplomatic" and was
telling the truth.
Bret Cahill
You're right, only they've been doing this for centuries. The Han are
considered the elite race of China, with the others being more or less
yokels as you describe.
--
Mike Russell - mike.russell-home.net